The NBA released the ballot for the All-Star Game in Dallas and three Sixers players are on it.

Elton Brand and Andre Igoudala are among the 24 forwards in the East. Samuel Dalembert is among the 12 centers in the East. Dalembert finished second in the fan voting last year, well behind Dwight Howard.

The game will be played on Valentine's Day at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with the NBA expecting a crowd of 80,000, the largest group ever to witness a live basketball game.

Fans can vote via text message for the first time, by sending a player’s last name to 6-9-6-2-2 (“MYNBA). Fans also can vote at each NBA arena and on NBA.com. Voting began today and continues through Jan. 10 for paper ballots and Jan. 18 for electronic voting.

Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.